Black Hawk Down characterizations

Black hawk Down-types of actors

In this segment, I will be discussing three actors from the movie Black Hawk Down (2001). I will discuss Eric Bana (Hoot), Tom Sizemore (McKnight), and Tom Hardy (Twombly). Eric Bana’s actor type is what is known as a character actor. Our textbook by Goodykoontz-Jacobs (2011), defines character actor as “Other actors are able to fit invisibly into a wide variety of disparate characters, adapting to the needs of each script and director they work with, known as character actors (ch. 3.4). Eric Bana can play a wide range of characters. In the movie Black Hawk Down, Eric Bana plays the character of Hoot who is a Delta Force operator. The following is a clip from Black Hawk Down called “Hoot BHD – Hot weapon”.

This clip has Eric Bana playing the character of “Hoot”, who is a Delta Force operator, Eric plays the character of very well because he acts like he is undisciplined, however in a firefight he is a master of warfare.

Tom Sizemore is a versatile actor, however he plays military roles very well. In Black Hawk Down really plays well in Tom Sizemore’s hands. Tom Sizemore is a character actor as well. He is a commanding actor with a military like bearing. He is the type of actor that you want to be like when he is playing such commanding roles. He took on the role of Lt. Col. McKnight that was part of the ground assault force. In this movie clip titled “McKnight-No Fear” he shows that he is battled hardened, and that he truly has no fear. He is walking in the road during a firefight, while others are running for cover. Watch:

The third actor that Tom Hardy who plays Twombly. Twombly is part of a two man group who is left behind in enemy territory. Twombly engages the enemy with his squad automatic weapon, and this causes his fellow Ranger to become deaf from the muzzle blast. They have to fight their way back to a rally point while under constant fire. Tom is also a character actor who also displays a military type bearing. The following clip is titled Black Hawk Down-funny scenes, and you can watch Tom Hardy in action:

Tom Sizemore can be classified as a character actor in most of his roles. He can be very adept at playing his character with a high degree of confidence. Tom is usually cast in alpha male type roles, and you can feel it when he is on the big screen, because he is a force to be reckoned with. Being a character actor is not a bad thing, and he can make just as much fans in his supporting roles as he can being the major star of a film. Tom has played in numerous roles throughout his career, however he definitely needs to be placed in the roles that give command or respect. If Tom was labeled as an impersonator. When it comes to this characterization however for Tom, it is not a bad thing. He played Lt. Col. McKnight in Black Hawk Down, and he gained much respect for keeping his authority and military bearing throughout the film. In this movie clip from Heat (1995) Tom is part of gang that is in the middle of a black market transaction that goes wrong.  Tom shows us his ability in weapons manipulation by using the shotgun in a shoulder fire method:

Tom Sizemore plays another military role where he is known as Sgt. Horvath in Saving Private Ryan (1998). You can watch him rally the troops to continue the assault of the beach on D-Day. This movie clip is titled “Omaha Beach-Saving Private Ryan (1/7) movie Clip (1998) HD:

References:

Bruckheimer (Producer), Scott, R. (Director). (2001). Blackhawk Down. [Motion picture]. United States: Revolution Studios, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Scott Free Productions

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Internet Movie Database (2014) Black Hawk Down (2001) Retrieved from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265086/?ref_=ttmd_md_nm

Jjepperers666. (2011, Jan. 06) Hoot BHD-Hot weapon/Black Hawk Down (2001) Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vb5quj6ZhJM

MOVIECLIPS (2012, Oct. 06) Heat (4/5) Movie CLIP – Drive-In Shoot Out (1995) HD/Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DdDl6mbcGtc

MOVIECLIPS (2011, Oct. 27) Omaha Beach – Saving Private Ryan (1/7) Movie CLIP (1998) HD/Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqSg7WO4tT4

Společník proŽivot. (2010, Feb. 12) McKnight – No fear (Black Hawk Down) (2001) Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SEz3-FT3wW4

Společník proŽivot. (2010, Feb. 12) Black Hawk Down – funny scenes (Black Hawk Down) (2001) Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnHYKK0eL_Y

Saving Private Ryan

Saving Private Ryan (1998) has a plethora of characters that include: Captain Miller (Tom Hanks), Sergeant Horvath (Tom Sizemore), Private Jackson (Berry Pepper), and Private Caparzo (Vin Diesel). This is the story of how a few selected men endured the battle of D-Day, and then set out on a mission to find a soldier. This soldier named Private Ryan (Matt Damon), is the last brother alive out of four that was serving in the military on D-Day. His three other brothers were killed in action. Captain Miller leads a team of U.S. Army soldiers to try locate Private Ryan during the chaos of war. To enhance this movie, sound was one of the most important elements. I remember sitting in the movie theater in 1998, and I could hear the bullets whiz by my head during battle scenes. It made the audience feel as if they were part of the action.

Some movie sound elements are dialogue, sound effects, and music. Dialogue, according to the text book by Goodykoontz-Jacobs (2011), states that dialogue is “As is the dialogue, which includes any number of memorable lines and helps to advance the plot, explain relationships, and establish characterizations” (ch. 6.1). In Saving Private Ryan, dialogue is important during the scene called “That’s my mission”, Captain Miller explains to the soldiers why it is so important to risk their lives to save Private Ryan. This dialogue connects with the audience to help move the story along, and give cause for the mission. Saving Private Ryan (3/7)- That’s my mission (1998).  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvAIBDGIYE0

Sound effects are also another important attribute when it comes to movies. Sound effects which are noises that happen in the movie can either be downplayed or enhanced. In the scene where Captain Miller is in the middle of the beach assault, a large explosion happens near him. The sound is downplayed or reduced to give the effect that Captain Miller has temporarily lost his hearing. Then, in a flash, his hearing is restored to hear the sounds of battle. The clip is Saving Private Ryan (1/7)-Omaha Beach (1998).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqSg7WO4tT4

Music is a very important part of any film. In the movie clip titled “Flashback to Omaha Beach”, Private Ryan is now an elderly man that is visiting a gravesite on the Normandy beach. The music is dramatic in the sense that it gives the audience the emotion of pain, humbleness, and loss. Saving Private Ryan Flashback to Omaha beach (1998).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpDET2j9wQc

A specific sound in Saving Private Ryan is the gunfire and explosions. The gunfire and explosions coming from the movie, helps the audience become part of the battle experience, and it really establishes the movie into the war/action genre. The gunfire is very realistic, and I have no doubt that they recorded real live gunfire to use in the movie. If the gunfire sounded any different, then it would change the movie a little bit because the movie then would not sound or feel as real. If you watch this movie with surround sound, you can hear the bullets whizzing by your head. If these sounds effects were not put into the movie, then it would not have as much as a dramatic effect on the audience. In the following clip, called “Capt. Miller’s Last Stand”, the sound of the bullets is dead on, however when the tank approaches, you can almost feel it getting closer. Saving Private Ryan-(7/7) Capt. Miller’s Last Stand (1998).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnX_mQ9apu8

References:

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Movieclips. (2011), Oct. 27). Saving Private Ryan- Capt. Miller’s Last Stand [Video File]. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnX_mQ9apu8

Movieclips. (2011), Oct. 27). Saving Private Ryan- Flashback to Omaha beach [Video File]. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpDET2j9wQc

Movieclips. (2011, Oct. 27). Saving Private Ryan-That’s My Mission [Video File]. Retrieved from:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LvAIBDGIYE0

Paramount Movies. (2014, Aug. 14). Saving Private Ryan-Trailer [Video File]. Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYExstiQlLc

 

Blackhawk Down Lighting techniques

The type of lighting effects used in the movie Black Hawk Down, is natural lighting, and low-key lighting. While the term natural light is self-explanatory, low-key lighting according to a textbook by Goodykoontz-Jacobs (2011),  “A low–key lighting design looks dark overall by comparison. It is marked by extreme use of deep shadows, with very high contrast between the brightest parts of the scene and the darkest parts, which are obscured in shadows” (ch. 4.4).  An example of the natural light used in this movie is in the following movie clip.  Pay close attention to 22 seconds into the clip, when the character “Hoot” (Eric Bana) is using the .50 cal machine gun on top of the HMMWV, and the corresponding shots of the interior/exterior of the vehicle. Most of this movie is shot with natural light to make the realistic war scenes. Here is the clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ab9AAb6zxNk

An example of low-key lighting is when the General play by Sam Shepard is in the situation room. Here is a photo of that scene:

http://www.imdb.com/media/rm834784256/tt0265086?ref_=ttmi_mi_all_sf_12

low-key lighting

The use of natural light greatly enhanced the film’s realistic war battle scenes. If there was unnatural lighting used in the scenes, the movie would have been thought of as joke, or as a fake. The benefit of using the natural light, is to add to the realism and the light is free (sunlight). The lighting reinforces the theme of the movie by making it as realistic as possible. If any other type of lighting was used, then it would be clearly apparent to the viewer that they were watching a movie, rather than experiencing what the actors or characters are going through. The film makers really had no other choice than to use natural light, unless they were inside a building that has light from the ceiling, computers, etc.

References:

Goodykoontz, B., & Jacobs, C. P. (2011). Film: From watching to seeing. San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.

Internet Movie Database (2014) Black Hawk Down (2001) Retrieved from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265086/?ref_=ttmd_md_nm

MatDirector. (2010, Nov. 11) Black Hawk Down Best Scenes (2001) Retrieved from:  http://youtu.be/Ab9AAb6zxNk

 

 

Blackhawk Down

Title: Blackhawk Down

Writer: Mark Bowden (book), Ken Nolan (screenplay)

Director: Ridley Scott

Year: 2001

Actors: Josh Hartnett (as Eversmann), Ewan McGregor (as Grimes), Tom Sizemore (as McKnight), and Eric Bana (as Hoot).

Story:  Blackhawk Down is a film from 2001 about the 1993 mission to capture senior Somalia warlord fighters. These warlords were controlling the food in the country, and they were killing indiscriminately. The film is based upon actual events. The mission follows Sgt. Eversman (Hartnett) as he leads a squad of Army Rangers into Mogadishu. The mission is actually a success, however at least 19 U.S. soldiers were killed during this battle, and hundreds of enemy combatants were killed.

Plot: This film begins in 1992 when U.S. Marines land in Somalia to conduct peacekeeping operations there. The presence of the U.S. Marines kept the Somalia warlords at bay, for a while. Once the Marines left, this film shows us the devastation of war on the innocent civilians done by the warlords.

The capture of an arms dealer by Delta Force operators shows the audience how difficult of a fight this operation is going to be. Several U.S. Army Rangers and Delta Force Operators are shown at the base in Mogadishu, prepping for the upcoming mission. The mission will be to capture several top lieutenants of the warlord known as Mohamed Farrah Aidid. There is some foreshadowing at this point where the Rangers tell each other that the mission will only last a few hours, and not to bother bringing too many supplies, or armor plates in their vests.

When the mission begins, Delta Force operators climb onto the sides of “Little Bird” helicopters, while Army Rangers get into Blackhawk Helicopters, 5 ton trucks, and HMMWVS. They all begin to work their way into the heart of of the city known as Mogadishu.

The Somali locals alert the war lords, who have been preparing for them to come. The raid is a success, and the criminals are captured in short order. During the raid, one of the Rangers fall out of a helicopter during the fast rope into complex area. The bad guys are placed int 5 ton trucks that are escorted by HMMWVS. The Blackhawk and Little Bird helicopters circle over head to provide much needed fire support. The resistance to the U.S. soldiers begins to escalate as one of the Blackhawk helicopters are shot down by a rocket propelled grenade.

Some of the soldiers make their way to the crash site under heavy fire. Then it happens again. Another Blackhawk helicopter is shot down. The casualties begin to mount for the Americans. At one of the crash sites, two Delta Force snipers are dropped into combat from a helicopter, to help save a wounded pilot. That pilot is eventually captured by the enemy fighters, and the two snipers are killed.

It is now a race to get back to the military base on the other side of the city. The ground convoy that consists of 5 ton trucks, and HMMWVS incur casualties, while a ground team holds up in an abandoned building. After fierce combat, the team of Americans that were hold up in the abandoned building make their way back towards the U.S. Base, where they are intercepted by Pakistani armored personnel carriers. Some soldiers still have to run the “Mogadishu Mile” back to base. A total of 19 U.S. soldiers are killed.

Chronology: The film was shown in chronological order. This helped the audience understand the events as they unfolded, and the extreme difficulty and frustration of the U.S. soldiers.

The events unfold in a specific timeline, because this is based on a true story. This also shows how the “fog of war” can help frustrate the U.S. soldiers that were involved. This film does give plenty of foreshadowing. This happens when soldiers joke about the mission, and tell each other that the mission will be short and simple.

If the film had not been told in chronological order, I do not believe that the events would have been understood by the audience. This film had to happen in sequence, as the story actually happened.

Resources: 

Candyham Youtube videos. (2007, July 8). Blackhawk Down-Voodoo Child/ Retrieved from:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yOEOJ1BARk&w=420&h=315

Crackle Movies and Television Youtube videos. (2011, Oct. 20) Blackhawk Down Trailer/Retrieved from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qf_dT4oIbs

Blackhawk Down (2001) [Motion picture] retrieved from: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0265086/?ref_=tttr_tr_tt

Bruckheimer (Producer), Scott, R. (Director). (2001). Blackhawk Down. [Motion picture]. United States: Revolution Studios, Jerry Bruckheimer Films, Scott Free Productions